Armenia's ambassador to the European Union, Tigran Balayan, allegedly received threats from his Azerbaijani counterpart, Vakif Sadikov, during a recent diplomatic reception in Brussels, Armenia's Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovannisyan confirmed on 6 November.

Hovannisyan told reporters that the threats and insults were made during an event organised by the Turkish Embassy at the Tangla Hotel in Brussels to mark Turkey's national holiday. The Armenian embassy then filed an official complaint with other diplomatic missions in the Belgian capital.

"An investigation into the matter is underway," Hovannisyan said.

The incident was first reported by the US publication Politico, which quoted Balayan as saying that Sadikov had threatened him during the event. Sadikov has reportedly denied the allegations, dismissing them as "ridiculous".

The tensions come amid ongoing negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan over a possible peace deal to end decades of hostility over territorial disputes.

The two countries have fought two major wars since the early 1990s, with the most recent conflict in 2020 ending in victory for Azerbaijan. In the 2020 war, Azerbaijan took control of parts of Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that had been under the control of Armenia-backed ethnic Armenian forces. In September 2023, Azerbaijan completed its military takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh, displacing more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians, nearly the entire population of the enclave, who fled to Armenia.

According to the letter seen by Politico, Balayan was "verbally attacked and intimidated" by Sadikov, who allegedly "made explicit threats against his life".

The Armenian embassy in the EU refused to respond to Politico's request for comment, while the Turkish embassy has so far made no comment on the matter.

Last June, Sadikov publicly threatened members of the European Parliament who were visiting Armenia and had called on Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops from internationally recognised Armenian territories. 

"The Istiglal IST-14.5 anti-materiel sniper rifle produced in Azerbaijan has an effective firing range of about 3,000 m. Guys, keep away from the Azerbaijani state border..." he posted on X.

Seven weeks later, the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia, a civilian and unarmed presence, came under Azerbaijani sniper fire near the border in the Gegharkunik region. No injuries were reported in the attack, which forced the monitors to take cover in an Armenian military shelter.